03-16-2012, 11:32 PM
I've played the first real level after the tutorial-section.
Initial impressions (spoiler-free):
1. Movement has improved. Your avatar is more agile, which creates more interesting fights. Movement input seems very dumbed down though. In the tutorial you jump over holes in the ground simply by pressing the sprint and forward button. (meaning, you run using the same buttons as you traverse a hole with... meaning you don't actually do anything in order to traverse the hole, and thus the "obstacle" has no purpose in the game.)
2. Graphics seem bland. I don't know why I'm left with this impression. I'm sure the techniqual quality of the game is impressive. It just doesn't look very nice. I'll check the settings tomorrow to make sure I'm on max. The Witcher 2 this ain't.
3. Dialogue and story so far are very ham-fisted. This might be a case of Babylon 5ism, in that I might enjoy it as a saga after having completed the whole thing, but on close inspection, the individual conversations and story arcs don't hold up to scrutiny. I feel I shouldn't have spent my "the witcher 2 this ain't" on the previous bullet point, because dialogue, plot and character are what seperates the toys from the art in this industry. Mass Effect 3 is definitely a toy.
4. The game FEELS shallow, predictable and dumb. Play the tutorial and you'll see. If The Witcher 2 is HBO, Mass Effect 3 is Fox.
5. I'm sure I'll be able to forgive much of my initial gripe and really get into the game over the course of the weekend, but at this point I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be sorely disappointed by the end.
Initial impressions (spoiler-free):
1. Movement has improved. Your avatar is more agile, which creates more interesting fights. Movement input seems very dumbed down though. In the tutorial you jump over holes in the ground simply by pressing the sprint and forward button. (meaning, you run using the same buttons as you traverse a hole with... meaning you don't actually do anything in order to traverse the hole, and thus the "obstacle" has no purpose in the game.)
2. Graphics seem bland. I don't know why I'm left with this impression. I'm sure the techniqual quality of the game is impressive. It just doesn't look very nice. I'll check the settings tomorrow to make sure I'm on max. The Witcher 2 this ain't.
3. Dialogue and story so far are very ham-fisted. This might be a case of Babylon 5ism, in that I might enjoy it as a saga after having completed the whole thing, but on close inspection, the individual conversations and story arcs don't hold up to scrutiny. I feel I shouldn't have spent my "the witcher 2 this ain't" on the previous bullet point, because dialogue, plot and character are what seperates the toys from the art in this industry. Mass Effect 3 is definitely a toy.
4. The game FEELS shallow, predictable and dumb. Play the tutorial and you'll see. If The Witcher 2 is HBO, Mass Effect 3 is Fox.
5. I'm sure I'll be able to forgive much of my initial gripe and really get into the game over the course of the weekend, but at this point I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be sorely disappointed by the end.
